Christmas With the Calvins 2: Charlie and the Toy Factory
by PrincessTriSarahTops
Summary: Charlie knows the laws and codes of the North Pole almost as well as Curtis and Bernard do. So, when after 25 years of being Santa's son, his father finally offers him the famous hat and coat, Charlie knows there's one clause he wont be able to avoid for very long. Can he successfully manage his first Christmas as Santa while make sure he finds a wife by Christmas Eve?
1. Chapter 1

The day began in the ordinary way. Holly Green woke in a rush as her repeatedly snoozed alarm finally managed to wake her. She'd hurried to ready herself for work and made it with a minute to spare. This had always been how Holly's mornings started. She never wanted to wake up in the morning and lose whatever it was she'd been dreaming about. Still the mornings always came, and the previous night's dream would dissipate like smoke up a chimney with every charm of her cellphone's alarm.

While at work, Holly quickly wrapped an apron around herself and started on her tasks. It was the end of October which for a bakery meant the start of the holiday season. Halloween preparations were in full swing. Customers were coming in with tons of cookie and cupcake orders for parties or trick or treating. Today it was up to Holly to make sure everything was executed perfectly.

"What's the plan today, Boss?" Holly's co-worker, Rachel, poked her head into the back kitchen and waited for an answer.

"Well we should be getting a lot of order pick ups today. I know they filled most of the orders yesterday, but it would really help if you could man the counter while I finished whatever's left." Holly told her.

"Okay." Rachel shrugged cheerily before bouncing back out into the customer facing area of the bakery to open for the day.

Rachel busied herself with the usual morning routine; wiping down the counters, unlocking the front door, and straightening the displays. In the back, Holly started a batch of cupcakes. She had time to gather all the ingredients and mix together a batch of batter before the bell dinged over the door outside. Holly could hear Rachel talking to first customer of the day as she began scooping cupcake batter onto cupcake tins.

Several hours later, the bakery case out front was nearly empty and Holly had managed to dwindle down the ever-growing list of orders. The Afternoon baker, Kevin, had arrived and he started whipping up batches of cookies, brownies, and cakes to refill the bakery. After exchanging pleasantries with Kevin, Holly began the next special order on the list.

"Hey, Holly?" Rachel poked her head into the kitchen once more.

"Hmm?" Holly glanced up at the door, the measuring scoop in her hand was mounded over with flour.

"Do you know where the order for last name 'Miller' is? The customer's here to pick it up but it's not out here in the ready for pick-up fridge." Rachel bit her lip and frowned with concern. She hoped that the order had been completed and was just in the wrong fridge.

"Miller?" Holly repeated. "Sounds familiar…" Holly set her measuring scoop down, creating a small cloud of flour around her. She reached for the list of completed orders and quickly skimmed it. "Hmmm, it's not on the completed list." She handed Rachel the list so that she could read it for herself.

"But if the name sounds familiar…" Rachel said, reading the completed list for herself. Holly practically read her mind and searched the list of orders that were yet to be completed.

"Here it is, at the top of the list. Four dozen assorted sugar cookies for Laura Miller." Holly confirmed. "It's actually the order I'm working on now."

"What do we do?" Rachel asked looking more worried than before. "Will you talk to them? You're better at this sort of thing than me."

"Sure, I don't mind." Holly agreed. She wiped her hands on her apron and stepped into the bakery. The customer in question was patiently browsing one of the display cases while he waited for his order. He looked to be roughly Holly's age; late twenties or early thirties. He had a round face and the early signs of laugh lines around his mouth and eyes.

"Uh, are you Laura Miller?" Holly asked. The man laughed and then noticed the lack of baked goods in her hand.

"No, Laura's my mom. I'm Charlie." He explained. "Is there something wrong with her order?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Miller but…"

"It's Calvin." He interrupted her politely.

"I'm sorry?" She'd though he'd said his first name was Charlie.

"My last name is Calvin, not Miller. My mom got remarried when I was little." He told her. "You're Holly Green, right?"

"I, ah, yeah. How did you…?" Holly couldn't help but blink at him in confusion. Had she met this man before?

"I guess I look a little different now and it's been a long time." He shrugged. "We went to school together, but I moved away after High School. I went to Canada to help my Dad."

"With his toy making business. Now I remember." Holly nodded. "No one forgets the kid who gets to take the whole month of December off of school."

"It wasn't always as glamorous as it seemed." He scoffed.

"Are you still in the toy making business?" She asked him.

"I guess you could say that. Things are about to get pretty busy for us, So I always come home to see my mom, sister and stepdad around this time." Charlie said. "When Lucy, my sister, was little I used to take her trick or treating. Now we throw a Halloween party instead."

"Which would explain the cookie order." Holly nodded.

"Right, the cookie order." Charlie remembered. "Was there a problem with the order?"

"Unfortunately, it's not finished yet." She apologized. "I'm so sorry, what time is your party at?" Charlie checked his watch.

"The party doesn't start for a few more hours, but I have a bunch of errands to run before then. I'm not sure I would have time to come back." He frowned.

"Your order is the next one on the list. I was just about to start it. I'm afraid we may have taken on a few more orders than we could handle." Holly apologized again. "Since it's our mistake, I'd be more than willing to complete your order and deliver it personally."

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that." Charlie shook his head. "Maybe I could just rearrange a few things…"

"Charlie," Holly placed a hand on his shoulder. "What time should I deliver the cookies?"

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you?" He smiled.

"I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I did." Holly assured him. She walked towards the cash register where she always kept a small notebook. She handed the notebook and a pen to Charlie.

"Alright. Well, in that case please let the owner know that you saved the night. My sister is really picky about her cookies and you guys are her favorite bakery in the world." He told her, while writing his mother's address on the notebook.

"You just did." Holly said, collecting the notebook from him.

"What?"

"I own this bakery." She explained. "Did you think you were the only one who could inherit a family business?" She smirked.

"Well, I haven't exactly inherited my dad's workshop yet." Charlie sighed. "But how did you come to own a bakery? I remember when we were kids you used to say you were going to be what was it…a police officer-princess?"

"A police officer-_Jedi -_princess." She corrected him. "Then there was ice cream truck driver and a whole other list of fantastical careers. But my grandparents built this bakery from the ground up and my mom took it over when they died. When her and my dad died, I couldn't bare to let it go. So it's just me and my small staff of five. Which is why it's so important that I get back in there and keep working on your order. Wouldn't want to ruin your Halloween party."

"Of course. I don't want to hold you up any longer and I still have those errands to run. I'll see you around six?" Charlie verified.

"See you then." Holly nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

As was always the case when the Calvins were in town, Neil Miller found his house erupting with chaos. Lucy, his twenty-five-year-old daughter, was in her room getting dressed for the party. Michael Jackson's Halloween classic _Thriller_ could be heard blasting from behind her closed bedroom door. Nick and Noel, Neil's twin grandchildren, were sitting on the living room floor coloring Halloween print outs. Nick was dressed as a t-rex and his sister a was Simba from the _Lion King. _The twin's father, Bernard, was doing what he did best, working.

"Neil?" His wife Laura called to him from the kitchen. Neil's head pivoted in her direction. "You should put your costume on, everyone will be here soon." Neil glanced down at his watch. She was right.

"Alright." He sighed. "But make sure when Charlie gets back, he puts the candy out for the Trick-or-Treaters."

"I already took care of it, Dr. Miller!" Bernard called from the living room.

"You did? Well thank you Bernard that was very, thorough of you." Though Neil supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. Given Bernard's line of work, he'd always been detail oriented. "Have you heard from your wife at all?"

"You know how things are this time of year." Bernard commented. "She'll be here as soon as she can. You know how important family parties are to her."

_That's true_. Neil agreed as he walked away. Bernard's wife, Jessica, took holidays and family gatherings very seriously. The oldest of the two Calvin children, Jess, was ten years old when her father and Laura were divorced. She and Charlie both grew up in a very divided family but, that was a long time ago. Now The Millers and the Calvins were a tightly knit bunch who tried to celebrate together as often as possible. There was a knock at the door and a familiar boisterous laugh could be heard on the other side.

"I'll get it!" Laura insisted. "Go change!" She pushed her husband down the hall. Laura was already dressed in her costume for the evening. The theme for this year's Calvin-Miller Halloween party was 90's characters, she and Neil decided to dress up as Elain and Jerry from _Seinfeld._ Neil wasn't exactly thrilled about the choice, but he'd failed to come up with a suitable alternative so _Seinfeld _it was. Laura answered to find her ex-husband, his wife, Carol, and their son Buddy.

"Are we too early?" Carol asked when Laura ushered everyone inside. "You'd think that after all these years I'd be better at converting North Pole time." Carol laughed.

"Oh no, it's alright." Laura waved her off. "You guys look great!" She exclaimed taking in Scott and Carol's costumes.

"It was Buddy's idea." Carol laughed, brushed a lock of curled hair out of her face. She and Scott had come to the party dressed as Woody & Bo Peep from the first _Toy Story _movie. Twelve-year-old Buddy was wearing one-piece zip up pajamas designed to look like Buzz Lightyear from the same movie.

"Well, Lucy and Neil are still getting ready and Charlie is out running errands, but Bernard and the kids are here." Laura told them.

"Great haven't seen them in forever." Buddy commented sarcastically before trudging into the living room.

"It's a phase." Scott commented. "I hope."

"I'm baaaack!" Charlie Calvin entered the house, returning from the errands he'd been running all day. "Hey Dad, Hey Carol." He nodded at his dad and stepmom.

"Did you get more candy, Charlie?" Laura asked him.

"Of course, Mom!" He held up a plastic shopping bag overfilled with the half-priced candy he bought that afternoon. "But there was a problem with the cookies…"

"Did you say a problem with the cookies?" Lucy, now finished getting ready, came loudly bouncing down the stairs.

"Yeah, they weren't ready when I went to pick them up. But don't worry, the owner said she'd bring them by." Charlie explained.

"Well that was awfully nice of her." Laura was surprised. "That bakery doesn't normally deliver."

"Yeah, I thought it was nice." Charlie nodded. "Is everyone here already? I'd better go change."

"Jessie's still not here yet." Lucy told him as he passed her on the stairs.

"She'll be here. Don't worry. What are you supposed to be anyway?" He asked her.

"Blossom from _The Powerpuff Girls_." Lucy explained, gesturing towards her pink dress and white knee-high socks. "I'm going to play with the kids!" She announced before looking for her niece and nephew in the living room.

* * *

"Do you want some help with that cookie order, Holly?" Kevin, the afternoon baker, offered.

"Thanks Kevin, but I'm almost done." Holly answered without looking away from the cookie she was icing. Her piping bag was filled with orange icing as she tried to decorate a candy corn shaped cookie. "But I promised the customer I'd personally deliver these. It would be huge help if you could start on the next order."

"That's not a problem." Kevin nodded. He looked at the list of orders and started gathering ingredients for a Halloween themed birthday cake.

"Well, what do you think?" Holly asked him an hour later when she'd completed all four-dozen hand decorated sugar cookies. Kevin looked up from his workstation and inspected his boss' work. Across the drying racks there were various Halloween themed cookies. Everything from black cats and bats to ghost and witch hats.

"Those look great. I'm sure the customer will love them." Kevin assured her.

"I hope so. I'm going to box these up and get ready to go. In the meantime, keep working on the list, alright?" Holly boxed up the cookies and wrapped each box in red twine to hold them closed on their journey. She took off her apron and hung it on its usual hook near the door.

"Rach, I'm going out to deliver that order for Miller. Are you good to handle everything out here till I get back?" She asked on her way out the door.

"Yeah, totally." Rachel assured her. It's almost five anyway. There's not much left to do but clean."

"Alright, I'll be back soon. Just keep the place standing!" She laughed as she left the bakery.

* * *

"Jessica?" At the polite calling of her name Jessica Calvin looked up from the book she'd been reading. Curtis, the Head Elf of the North Pole, was standing in the doorway. Jess placed a wrapped candy cane on the spine of the book, so she didn't lose her page. "Shouldn't you be leaving soon?" He asked.

"Yes." She sighed. "I should have left with Bernard and the kids earlier. Or At least when Dad and Carol left but I just…"

"Are you reading the Christmas Handbook again?" Curtis asked, trying to peek at the book from his place in the doorway. He didn't need to stretch very much as Curtis knew the Christmas Handbook like it were one of his own limbs.

"I just want to be prepared for what happens next." She told him.

"But we don't know what's going to happen next." He reminded her. "Reading that book wont help. You should go and spend time with your family while you can."

"You're right." Jess nodded, getting up from her chair. "I just wish that I could face mom, Neil and Lucy with answers tonight. Instead all I have is more questions. I'll see you after the party." Jess moved past Curtis and out of her office with her head hung low as she racked her brain trying to think of a solution to the current Calvin family problem. Curtis watched his friend walk away with a heavy heart. He wished there was a way that he could easy her mind and assure her that everything was going to be alright, but the truth was that no one knew the fate of the North Pole after December 24th this year.

* * *

**A/N: So here we are at Chapter 2! Sorry that I didn't get another update out before Christmas, but such is life. Just wanted to leave a quick note and thank everyone for already favoriting and following along with the new story! A special shout out to Novelty-Keeper, Villains' Bad Girl, & Ghostwriter for this stories first reviews. Keep the love and comments flowing, I hope to be back soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Say Bernard, you got a second?" Charlie, now dressed in his Might Ducks Hockey jersey, leaned on the door frame of the living room and waited for his brother-in-law to answer him.

"Hmm?" Bernard looked up from the research in his lap.

"It seems like it's gonna be awhile before Jess gets here." Charlie told him. "I thought we could go for a walk. Maybe Buddy or Lucy can watch the kids?"

"I'm busy." Buddy mumbled, not looking up from the Nintendo Switch in his hands.

"I've got it covered." Lucy volunteered. She was sitting on the floor between the twins already, coloring in a picture of a haunted house. Bernard thanked her before getting up and following Charlie out into the backyard.

"Sooooo…" Charlie stretched out the word as long as he felt comfortable before whistling lowly.

"Jessica told you already?" Bernard guessed with exasperation.

"She tells me everything these days." His brother-in-law shrugged.

"Yeah, well I guess that's easy when you control the North Winds." Bernard folded his arms over his chest.

"Don't be like that." Charlie huffed. He awkwardly rubbed the toe of his foot into the ground, grinding away some of the grass. "You know I've been doing this for twelve years?" He looked up at Bernard, trying to read his expression.

"I told you not to take it on in the first place." Bernard complained. That wasn't exactly true. The Truth was Bernard hadn't been consulted at all when Charlie decided to take up the mantle of Jack Frost. It had happened behind closed doors during an emergency meeting of the Council of Legendary Figures.

* * *

"_It's the dead of winter!" Father Time had remarked at the time. "How would we train someone to take over as the Winter Herald in the middle of the season?"_

"_How hard could it be?" Charlie asked without thinking. _

"_How hard?! Does anybody hear this kid?" Cupid gasped. _

"_What I mean is, Frost has been up here for weeks causing havoc at the North Pole and he was still able to do his job. I think that Cupid or Easter Bunny's jobs must be much harder than Heralding a season. That's all." Charlie shrugged. _

"_Oh? That's all!" Now Frost was scoffing too. "The job's not all Snowflakes and gentle breezes, kid." _

"_I think Charlie could do the job and do it well too!" The Toothfairy defended Charlie. "He'd make a great Frost. We already know that he'd be able to work closely with Santa, he could learn the role easily, and let's be honest, we all love Charlie." _

"_It's a big responsibility, kid." Father Time told him. "You'd have to give up your human life, and you know what can happen if you don't do the job right." _

"_You don't have to worry about that." Charlie promised. "I'm not looking to turn myself into a human popsicle." _

"_Well, then I motion for a vote." Mother Nature announced. "All those in favor of suspending the current Jack Frost for a term no greater than five years." All around the room it was a unanimous vote of 'yes' to suspend Frost. "All right the motion passed. And all those in favor of Charlie Calvin taking up the mantle of Frost for the duration of said suspension?" Once again all of the legendary figures on the council voted in agreement. _

"_Well, Charlie Calvin, you'd better get your affairs in order. It looks like you're our new Jack Frost." Mother Nature smiled. "Meeting adjourned." And that was how Charlie accidentally became the temporary Winter Herald. _

"_Are you wearing a suit?" Jessica noticed immediately when she, Bernard and Curtis ran into him after the meeting. _

"_That's not just any suit." Bernard said with a groan. "Charlie, you didn't!" _

"_It's only temporary." Charlie rushed to explain. "The old Jack is just suspended for no more than five years."_

"_Are you sure you want that responsibility?" Curtis asked. _

"_It's a little too late now if I don't isn't it?" Charlie offered everyone a toothy grin. "It'll be fine. I'll do the job right and I promise not to go all frozen dinner on everyone. Now everyone doesn't have to worry about me all the time." _

"_We'll still worry about you, Charlie." Bernard argued._

* * *

"Well, we have a different problem now, don't we?" Charlie asked, taking their minds from that Christmas twelve years ago and back to the present.

"Santa." Bernard nodded. "I've been looking everything over for weeks Charlie, there's no way for any of them to keep their memories if your father stops being Santa."

"I might have thought of something…" Charlie disagreed. He wanted to go on to say more but a large flying reindeer could be seen from just below the clouds and Jessica was riding on its back.

"We can talk after the party." Barnard told him.

"Charlie!" Jessica beamed at the sight of her brother. She dismounted from Comet and wrapped Charlie in a generous hug. "It's been too long."

"Apparently the two of you talk all the time." Bernard grumbled.

"So you didn't have any better luck finding answers than I did?" His wife asked him. She wasn't bothered by his sharp quip. They'd been married long enough for her to know when he was just trying displace some of his own frustration.

"I think I've come up with something." Charlie chimed in. "What if I put on the coat?"

"Brilliant idea!" Bernard remarked with dramatic sarcasm. "Why didn't we think of that? Oh maybe because you're already the Winter Herald!"

"Bernard's right, Charlie. You would need to find a new Jack Frost before the Council would allow you to pick up a different mantle. Trust me, I checked." Jess sighed.

"Hey, what are you kids doing out there?" Scott poked his head into the yard. "C'mon, it's almost time for the big announcement."

"Right, the _big_ announcement." Bernard mumbled. He wrapped an arm around his wife as the three of them walked back inside the Miller's house.

"You guys are acting weird." Lucy announced when her siblings re-entered the living room. Ever since she was little there were things that Jess and Charlie didn't tell her. Most of the time they were things that involved the North Pole. Things that they thought didn't effect the whole family, but somehow they usually did anyway. "What's going on?"

"You'll find out soon enough." Charlie assured her.

"Okay, everyone's here?" Scott asked, taking a mental roll call. "Alright then, family meeting in the family room!" He called.

"Did he just say family meeting?" Neil asked Laura. His wife simply shrugged in response. They gathered with the rest of the family in the living room and everyone waited for Scott's big announcement.

"Okay, Laura, Neil, Charlie…good everyone's here." Scott scanned the room. He managed a weak smile as he thought of how best to tell everyone what he had to say. "As you know, we're about to go to the final months of the busy season. Which makes things especially hard for Jessie and me. Well Charlie too, everyone loves a white Christmas am I right?"

"Scott, what's going on?" Laura questioned. "Is everything alright at the North Pole?"

"Sure, sure." Scott nodded. "Curtis says it's going to be one of the best Christmases we've ever had. Everyone's excited."

"Not everyone." Buddy huffed.

"Thank you, Buddy." Scott rolled his eyes. "One of the things that's specially about this Christmas, is that Buddy will turn thirteen on Christmas Day. So, I asked him what he would want for a present, being his first Christmas as a teenager." Scott paused again as he looked around the room. He didn't know how to tell Neil, Laura and Lucy about the decision he'd come to. "But Buddy wants to move away from the _Pole._"

"Oh." Neil remarked quietly.

"You had us worried, Scott!" Laura exclaimed. "You and Carol both know that Buddy is more than welcome to stay with us."

"Thanks, Aunt Laura." Buddy commented. "But what I told Dad I wanted for Christmas was for him to not be Santa anymore."

"Why would you want that?" Lucy huffed. "Uncle Scott is the _best _Santa! Just ask Bernard! He's been around forever!"

"Thanks, Luce." Bernard groaned. "But for the record she's right. Historically he's the best Santa we've ever had."

"This is what the two of you were hiding?" Lucy now targeted her older brother and sister. "How long have you known about this? Why didn't you try to talk him out of it?"

"Talk who out of it? Buddy or Dad?" Jess asked. "He's a thirteen-year-old boy, Lucy and he's only ever lived at the _North Pole._ I can't blame him for wanting to have a normal life. You, me and Charlie all had that."

"He shouldn't get to ruin Christmas for everyone else just because _he_ wants to be normal. No one is normal." Lucy argued.

"Hello, I'm sitting right here!" Buddy snapped at Lucy.

"Now, now, I'm sure there's a way we can all discuss this without arguing." Neil tried to diffuse the situation but all around the room the family was fighting. Lucy was calling Buddy selfish and blaming him for ruining Christmas. Buddy countered that Lucy was the selfish one for not wanting him to be happy. Laura complained to Scott that the family meeting felt more like an ambush while Scott tried to counter that there was no easy way to bring up the subject. Somehow over the loud discussion, Charlie heard the doorbell ring. Glad for the excuse to leave, he slipped out of the room to answer the front door.

* * *

**A/N: First Fic update of 2020!** I'm having a lot of fun with this story and I've already got a few ideas up my sleeves for y'all! Thank you so much for following along with me. Now that Christmas is over I don't know if I'll be updating this all year long but I'm going to try to update sporadically throughout the year.

As always I want to thank everyone for reading, favoriting, following and enjoying the story! But I especially want to thank those of you who take time to leave reviews. They're so important as they do inspire me to update more frequently and they let me see what kind of story y'all are hoping to see. So thank you to Ghostwriter, villains' Bad Girl & Novelty-Keeper for your reviews of Chapter 2!

I have so many ideas for this story and I can't wait to dive deep into it! I'll be back with an update soon!


	4. Chapter 4

Balancing the four boxes of cookies in one arm, Holly Green rang the doorbell of the address Charlie Calvin had given her earlier that afternoon. Charlie answered the door, glad to be away from his family members arguing in the living room.

"Holly." Charlie smiled. "It's good to see you again."

"Charlie, the feeling is mutual." Holly smiled back. "I brought your cookies."

"Thanks. It was amazing of you to deliver them. Here let me take those." Charlie helped Holly unload her arms and he reached for his wallet.

"Is everything alright in there?" She asked, hearing the sounds of the Millers and Calvins talking over each other.

"Family stuff." Charlie shrugged as he counted out the money to pay the baker. "My dad is thinking about moving because it would make my younger brother happy, but if they move, we might lose the toy factory." He didn't know why he was telling her all of this. For some reason he felt like he had to explain himself. Like he had to let Holly know his family wasn't always like this.

"That sounds rough." Holly frowned. Charlie moved to hand her the money he'd just counted out but she waved him off. "It's on the house." She told him.

"No, I can't let you do that." He disagreed. "It must have taken hours for you to make all these."

"It wouldn't feel right." Holly told him. "Your family has more important things to worry about right now. My grandfather used to have this saying, _Family is the anchor in life's storms._ He was certain that no matter what troubles life brought our way we could get through it as long as we had each other. He'd want you to have the cookies. Have a good night, Charlie."

Charlie didn't know what to say. He wished that he could invite Holly inside. She obviously worked very hard at the bakery and her family's legacy was very important to her. Maybe someone like Holly could make Buddy understand why their father's work was so important. Before he realized it, Holly was already halfway down the front steps. He was about to shut the front door when she stopped and face him again.

"This is going to sound weird," She confessed. "But every year on Halloween night, after the bakery is closed, we invite the staff together for a gingerbread house making contest. It's just a fun way for us to flex our skills and have some fun before the busy season starts. Uh, anyway I'm telling you this because I thought, with everything going on with your family, that you might want to take a break from it all. I remember when we thought my parent's might lose the bakery, it would have been nice to have some where to go. Just to step back for a minute you know?"

"I-ah-yeah. I know exactly what you mean." Charlie nodded. "I'll be there. What time?"

"Seven." Holly told him.

* * *

At seven o'clock Charlie found himself standing outside Holly's bakery. Through the shop's large front picture windows, he could see that the staff was already gathered for their gingerbread house build off. Folding tables had been set up around the shop, each seemingly designed as a station in the gingerbread house making process. There were sheets of gingerbread cooling on racks on one table and another was filled with dozens of jars of candy. Holly came out of the kitchen carrying another tray of gingerbread. When she spotted Charlie, she placed the tray down carefully and answered the door.

"Charlie!" She smiled as she opened the door for him. She looked happy to see him. "You came! C'mon in, we're about to get started." She clapped her hands loudly to get everyone's attention. "Hi Everyone! This is my friend Charlie. He's going to be joining us for the build off this year."

Holly then introduced Charlie to the bakery's small staff. He already knew Rachel from earlier but commented that it was nice to see her again. He was also introduced to the afternoon baker, Kevin, the other cashier Samantha and the two overnight Bakers Kate and Liam.

"That's just about everyone." Holly commented, looking around the room.

"Not everyone." Rachel disagreed. "You forgot about Jack Frost and his blizzard in the kitchen."

"What?" Charlie, a person who not only knew Jack Frost was real but also happened to be the current, and to his knowledge only Jack Frost, was visibly confused. Seeing this confusion but not understanding the true reason behind it, Holly rolled her eyes.

"She's talking about my younger brother. His name is Jack and he _loves_ snow and all things winter. So we call him Jack Frost." She explained. "He's been in the kitchen making snow out of candied coconut slices for at least an hour. C'mon I'll introduce you."

"Please." Charlie nodded before following her into the kitchen.

Although three years younger than his sister, Jack Green could have been her twin. He was sporting shaggy brown hair and sharp blue eyes. Charlie and Holly watched as he ran a candied slice of coconut over a cheese grater. With each pass small flakes of coconut fluttered down into an aluminum bowl. Charlie had to admit they were nicer that some of the real snowflakes he'd made.

"Haven't you made enough snow already?" Holly sighed from the doorway. Jack looked up in surprised, but he quickly smiled back at his sister.

"You can never have enough snow, sis!" He looked down assessing the mound of coconut in his bowl. "But I suppose this will do for now. Who's you're friend?"

"Oh, this is Charlie. Charlie this is my brother…"

"Jack Frost." Jack interrupted his sister. For the second time that night Charlie wanted to remark that he was actually Jack Frost, but knew it was not the time or place for such a discussion. But Jack Green had given him an idea and a new way to help the family.

"Holly are we starting this thing or what?" Liam, one of the night bakers, was particularly competitive and was anxious to begin the competition.

"Alright everyone." Holly stepped back out into the main room of the bakery. "Now remember, the point of tonight is for everyone to get together and have fun before the busy season starts, so let's try not to take things too seriously. That being said it's also a great change for everyone to practice their decorating skills. As discussed _last year _I've already chosen the teams for everyone. Kate and Samantha, you'll be one team. Rachel you'll be with Liam. Which leaves Jack and Kevin. Okay, let's get to work!"

* * *

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm back with a surprise update! I don't know if I'll be back with another one anytime soon, so enjoy this one for now. I have a lot of plans for Charlie and Holly and we're only just getting started! As always thank you to Jsmares22, Villains' Bad Girl & Ghostwriter for your reviews of Chapter 3! Please continue reading, reviewing and enjoying!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Ok Charlie, you're with me. Holly said as she dragged Charlie over to an unoccupied table. I usually work alone because my plans tend to be a little more…elaborate and the others don't like getting involved. This year, I'm happy to have help."

Holly unrolled a small collection of legal-size paper. She struggled to straighten the corners but gestured for Charlie to take a look. Charlie leaned over to see very detailed schematics for what looked like a gingerbread castle.

"Whoa, you weren't kidding that's pretty elaborate. How long does this competition last?" Charlie asked.

"Don't worry, I work fast." She promised. "Here, you can start scooping some icing into a piping bag." Holly pointed Charlie to a bowl full of icing, a white piping bag and a tip for the bag. "I'm going to start on the stained-glass windows."

"The what?" Charlie asked, awkwardly holding his icing bowl and a rubber spatula.

"Stained-glass. I saw this really cool trick on the internet where you bake candies into the cookie, and they melt to look like stained glass. I want to try that but with this." Holly held up a baker's blow torch for her to admire. He'd seen the kitchen elves up at the Pole use them before and knew that they were traditionally used for deserts like crème brulee and Baked Alaska.

"Fire." He nodded with approval. "Very cool."

"Well, I'm glad that we're in agreement." Holly smiled. "Now get to work. The clock is ticking!" Holly snapped her fingers playfully before reaching for a bowl of hard candies.

"You're right, my bad." Charlie started using the rubber spatula to scrape the icing into the piping bag.

Charlie hadn't been keeping track of the time as he worked side by side with Holly. Elaborate had been an accurate description of the gingerbread castle that Holly had planned out. There were gingerbread towers with waffle cone spires, gumdrop hedges and a drawbridge made of pretzel rods. Holly's stained-glass windows had come out perfectly as if they've been forged and fitted from real glass. It had worked out so well that she'd used the same technique to create a blue mote of melted Jolly Ranchers. He'd only realized that they'd been at it for nearly five hours when an alarm chimed somewhere, and Holly announced for everyone to put their piping bags down and step away from the candy.

"Ok, and that's time." She clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Time for you to show off you mean?" Jack called from across the room. He was still sprinkling coconut shaving over his creation apparently not satisfied with the amount of snow already piled nearly everywhere on his table.

"Like I said Jack, this is for _fun._ So, who wants to go first?" She surveyed the room.

"We'll go first." Kevin, Jack's partner for the evening volunteered immediately. "The sooner we present the sooner Jack Frost here can start cleaning up his snow."

"There may have been a _slight_ discrepancy about how much snow was enough." Jack shrugged. He put down his bowl of coconut at last and waved everyone over. Charlie and the others joined Jack and Kevin at their table.

"So our theme was _Baby it's Cold Outside, _Jack's idea." Kevin sighed.

"That's why we needed so much snow!" Jack asserted. Charlie supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that Jack and Kevin's gingerbread house was so good, since almost everyone in the room was a professional baker who had five hours to create something, but he was still blown away by it just the same.

Jack and Kevin had created a Gingerbread log cabin. They'd used pretzel rods like logs and stacked them together by affixing them to the outside of the gingerbread house starter pieces Holly had been baking earlier. There was a chimney climbing up one side assembled out of wafer cookies and Pine trees made of peppermint. There was a wood pile near the door made out of tootsie rolls and of course everything was _covered_ in a healthy dose of snow. Charlie wondered to himself if it was cliché to admit that the snow what his favorite part.

"Very nice, you two." Holly nodded with approval as she circled the table. "I knew the two of you would make a perfect team. "Kevin's attention to detail pairs well with Jack's enthusiasm. Okay, Rachel and Liam next I think."

"We decided to call this one _No Place Like Christmas Past._" Liam said as the small group shuffled over to another impressive display.

"We couldn't decide between _No Place Like Home_ and or _The Ghost Of Christmas Past,_ so we combined them." Rachel elaborated.

Rachel and Liam had expertly executed a small model of a Victorian home. They'd gone light on flashy candy decorations and instead decided to do more intricate details. One of them had used almond slices placed meticulously to create roof shingles. A wrap around porch had been made of gingerbread with cookie straws for pillars. Each corner or ledge had perfectly placed icing icicles that stopping dripping just where they needed too. There was even a widows walk nestled on the roof with railings of licorice to keep the gingerbread resident's from falling off.

"Beautiful work!" Holly nodded again with the same enthusiasm she'd shown her brother and her partner. "Liam your love for structure really pulled through here. Like me guess, you did these icicles?" She asked pointing to a corner on the roof.

"Actually, those were me." Rachel piped up. "I know I need to get better at the details and Liam is such a perfectionist, it really pressured me to do better."

"Another dynamic duo matched up by me." Holly said proudly. "So that just leaves Samantha and Kate."

"Our theme is _Where Are You Christmas._" Kate told the group.

"We've been planning it for weeks because Holly already let it slip awhile back that we'd be partners this year." Samantha smiled. "So, what do you think?"

Samantha and Kate were the bakery's cashiers, but Charlie realized when he walked up to the last team's table that even they had put forward a competitive entry into the contest. The girls had turned their gingerbread into a small Florida beach house. They'd spread the icing in such a way that has a stucco-like texture to it. They'd also used a food safe airbrush to paint the stucco a beachy yellow. Cookie straws had been stacked together to be used as palm tree stalks and gummy candies were arranged as the palms. Instead of snow, there was crushed graham crackers for sand. The only sign of Christmas was a Peeps snowman that had been propped in the front yard as a lawn decoration. The beach house was simple in appearance, but Samantha and Kate had made every minute of their five hours count.

"It's so cute, I love it!" Holly exclaimed. "I'd love to take a peach ring and float along in the little pool of icing you built back there." She told them. "We have to get you girls into the kitchen more often. This is a really great idea! Everyone did such a spectacular job this year." Holly glanced down at her watch to check the time. "It's almost midnight. You all must be so tired! Let's clean up everything perishable and leave the rest. I'll come down tomorrow and clean it."

"We should all stay and help." Rachel disagreed.

"Don't be silly. It's you're day off. You all need rest, soon you'll be begging me to go home. Just clean up anything we have to, and I'll come down and set up the window display and clean the rest up myself. Bosses orders." She insisted. With a hint of hesitation looming in the air, everyone started collecting dirty utensils and cleaning up their workstations. "So what dod you think?" She asked Charlie.

"They're all amazing!" He told her honestly. "How do you decide who wins."

"Oh, right. The word _contest_ is sort of used loosely these days. When it was my grandparent's bakery there did used to be a winner every year and even a prize. After my parents took over they found that the friendly competitions weren't always so friendly. People were sabotaging each other, and things would get pretty ugly. No one who works here now, of course." She told him. "And actually, without the idea of a prize looming over them, everyone seemed to just create better. So, Jack and I agreed that when one of us took over the bakery someday we'd keep the tradition, but not the competition part. Which by the way, you don't have to stay to help us clean up."

"Sure, I do." Charlie argued. "I helped make the mess, it's only fair I help clean up to. By the way why would clean the store tomorrow by yourself?"

"Tomorrow is Friday, well I guess technically _today_ is Friday since it's past midnight now." She said. "But the bakery is closed on Fridays so it's the only day that everyone gets off. Even me. I'd hate to make them all come here to clean on their day off."

"So you're going to come all the way here alone?" Charlie asked.

"It's not that far." Holly laughed, "I live right upstairs. So, I'll come down and clean for a few hours and arrange all of these guys in the window for our display." She pointed to the castle that Charlie and mostly Holly had made.

"You'll have to be awfully careful moving these by yourself." Charlie frowned. "It would be terrible if something were to happen to something you all worked so hard on. I know I said I'm only in town for a little while, but I'm not exactly doing anything tomorrow morning."

"Oh no Charlie I couldn't ask you to…" Holly started to say.

"You didn't ask me. I'm offering." Charlie said.

* * *

**A/N: Howdy friends! It's been about two months since the last time I updated, because what even are regular uploads. Am I right? I hope that with everything going on you are all staying safe and staying inside. Here's some Charlie Calvin content for you. I'd love to say i'll be back again soon and I really hope that's true! I have a lot of plans for Charlie and Holly but getting us there is going to be half the battle! **

**Thank you to Villains' Bad Girl, & Ghostwriter for your reviews of Chapter 4, and thank you to Jsmares22 for reminding me that I need to update this story more! Please keep reading, reviewing & enjoying! 3 3 **


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Charlie was all too eager to leave his mother's house and return to Holly's bakery. She was sweeping the floor when Charlie rapped on the window. Holly looked over to the shop's front door. She beamed with a joyful smile when she spotted him. She crossed the room and opened the door to let Charlie in.

"Am I late?" He asked as he shut the door behind himself.

"Late for volunteer work?" Holly laughed. Charlie reached for a nearby dustpan. He crouched down and held the dustpan so that Holly could sweep the mess on the floor into it. "Thank you, by the way." She added as Charlie dumped the contents of his dustpan in a nearby trashcan. "seriously, I can't believe you're here."

"Why not?" Charlie questioned. "I said I'd be here."

"Yeah," holly sighed. "I guess I'm still getting used to relying on other people. I tend to be a hands-on manager_, too hands on_, my team says sometimes. I'm working on trying to trust them to manage things."

"What about Jack?" Charlie questioned her. They'd moved on now to gathering bowls of candy off the various tables to put away anything that could be saved and throw away what couldn't.

"Oh Jack." Holly shook her head. She picked up the bowl of coconut shavings that Jack had worked so hard to make the night before. "Jack is fortunate to be the _younger_ sibling. He's never had much responsibility. He'd rather…make snow." Holly scooped up a handful of coconut shavings and sprinkled them back into the bowl, trying to mimic snowfall.

"Do you think he could do more? You know given the chance?" Charlie suggested.

"You mean if I stopped babying him?" Holly assumed that's what Charlie was insinuating.

"No! No! That's not what I meant at all." Charlie Insisted. "It's hard to explain but back in Canada I have a pretty important job. I get to control…inventory. But with my Dad and Carol wanting to move back home, I could potentially take over the factory. The problem is I need someone to take over _my_ job."

"So, you're back in town looking for someone who could take over your job at the factory?" Holly asked.

"Well, the whole family was in town to celebrate Halloween for the same reason you and your team get together here. The holidays are a busy time for us. My Dad, Carol, Jessie and her husband we all work at the factory so Halloween is the last day we get to see the rest of the family."

"You have a younger sister, don't you?" Holly asked. "Couldn't she take over your job? I mean it's a family business after all."

"She _could_." Charlie supposed. "But Lucy's a lot younger than Jessie and I, she has things she wants to do before moving to Canada."

"How much longer are you in town?" Holly wanted to know.

"I'm supposed to go back home tonight." Charlie told her. "But I suppose I could be persuaded to stay a bit longer. What exactly did you have in mind?"

"Well, Jack's his own person." Holly explained. "I'm his older sister and his boss, but I don't exactly speak for him. That being said, If you're looking for someone with a lot of heart and an eagerness to learn, it might be worth your while to stick around and talk to him. Let's get these displayed in the window, alright?" She nodded to the Victorian style Gingerbread House that was closest to them.

Charlie spent a few hours arranging the Gingerbread houses with Holly. Once each one was placed about where she wanted it, Holly stood outside and studied the display from the sidewalk. She then relayed instructions to Charlie for more fine tuning. When they were finished, they surrounded the houses with fluffy cotton to simulate snow. Jack's coconut shavings were then sprinkled over everything for a finishing touch.

"Thanks for the help today, Charlie. Really!" Holly thanked him again as they locked up the bakery.

"Thanks for letting me be a part of your traditions. It was nice to escape the family chaos for a while." Charlie smiled.

"So you'll be back tomorrow to take Jack out to lunch?" Holly asked,

"Well, to invite him out at least." Charlie nodded. "Hopefully he's willing to hear me out." There was a chill in the air as a sudden gust of wind swirled through the sidewalk. "You should head inside before you catch a cold." He smirked.

"Ah, the cold's never bothered me much." Holly shrugged. "It's a refreshing break from the hot ovens inside. I'll see you tomorrow, Charlie?"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Holly." He agreed. Charlie began to walk away casually. He was certain no one had noticed the slight twist of his wrist that brought on another breeze of Northern Winds, carrying with it Holly's next words.

_Looking forward to it, Charlie._

* * *

Back at the Miller's home, Jessie was sat up at the kitchen table. An empty mug of coffee was in front of her. She rubbed her eyes and debated making another cup, when she heard the front door open and the sound of Charlie's boots.

"I can't stay long," He told his sister as he entered the kitchen. "They're supposed to be getting an inch of snow in Massachusetts and the Midwest is due for a midnight frost."

"I'm not ready to go back yet, Charlie." Jessica sighed. "Everyone's expecting me to have answers. Mom, Neil, the elves. Curtis and Bernard always made this job look effortless. Like every possible answer is in these pages." She gestured to the pocket edition of the Christmas Handbook. Quintin had made it for her after she justifiably refused to carry around the traditional oversized tome. "I've been through this book as critically as I can. There's no way to stop everyone from forgetting us once Dad gives up being Santa. And Buddy! Buddy just doesn't care! He's literally making Dad choose between him and Carol or all of us!"

"We always knew it was going to happen eventually." Charlie reminded her.

"Yeah, but I guess I didn't think it was going to happen so soon." Jess complained. "I thought we'd get more time. That my kids would get more time."

"I'm working on something." Charlie confessed. "But it's going to take some time…"

"We don't have time Charlie." Jess shook her head.

"It's November first. We have Fifty-three days, roughly." Charlie said. His job as Jack Frost had made him more aware of deadlines than ever. "I gotta go." He frowned.

"Wait, what's your plan?" His sister called after him.

"I have to go, Jess," He repeated, already running towards the back door. Jessica followed after him and watched when with a snap of his fingers Charlie changed into the signature pinstriped suit of Jack Frost. He took off at a run before leaping up into the air and getting carried away by a Northern Wind. Jessica shivered as the residual wind reached the back door. She'd decided to have one more cup of coffee before flying to the North Pole.

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone I'm back with a random update! Christmas in July is coming up this week so I just thought I'd pop in with a new chapter or two. Just trying to spread some joy in this difficult time. hope you're all doing well and staying safe! 3 3


	7. Chapter 7

Charlie met Jack outside of the bakery the following afternoon. There was a slight chill in the air as Chicago was due for a snap cold front that night. Charlie was glad he wouldn't have to lie to anyone on the council if they asked, he _technically _was working. It just so happened that he had his own agenda to attend to at the same time.

"So, Holly mentioned that you might have a job for me?" Jack got straight to the point as the two men walked together along the quiet little street.

"I do." Charlie nodded. He wondered how to start. Charlie had been in on the Family secret for almost twenty-five years, but it never got easier to bring someone new into that world. "It has great benefits. An incredible dental plan, literally 100% coverage with no deductible."

"I see." Charlie could tell from Jack's tone that he was trying to be polite and not outright dismiss his offer. _C'mon Charlie! _He scolded himself._ Premium Dental insurance? That's the best you've got?_

"Jack, I have a very important job." He tried to explain. "In fact, I'm the only person in the world who can do my job."

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" Jack asked. "I'm not trying to be rude here Charlie. I'm just trying to understand what this has to do with me."

"Sorry, It will all make sense in a minute, just humor me." Charlie replied. "Anyone can learn to do what I do, but it takes a certain kind of person to do my job, and I think that you could be that special person."

"Me?" Jack scoffed. "You hardly know me. You don't know what kind of person I am."

"True, I don't know you." Charlie agreed. "But I work with a lot of people who've known you since you were born, and your sister also gave a pretty glowing recommendation both as your sibling and your boss."

"That's Holly for you." Jack rolled his eyes. "Always sees the best in people. Look, I'm flattered Charlie, really I am, and I'm sure whatever job you have would be great but you live in Canada right? Which means I'd have to leave Holly here. We're the only family each other has. I couldn't do that to her."

"This is getting more complicated the longer I drag this out." Charlie sighed. He stepped into an alley between two businesses.

Jack recoiled at the smell of the alley's only other occupant, a dumpster, but followed Charlie into the alley anyway. There was a swirl of freezing cold air that sent Jack shivering through his hoodie. But he didn't have time to comment on that before Charlie was floating right before his very eyes.

"Is this a magic trick?" Jack gasped. He stepped closer to Charlie looking for fishing line or something that could possibly be suspending him in the air.

"It's magic, but it's not a trick." Charlie opened the palm of his right hand and conjured a miniature flurry of snowflakes. It reminded Jack so much of Elsa from Frozen that he couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you an ice princess?" He snorted.

"What? No!" Charlie closed his hand into a fist crushing the tiny flurry as fast as it had appeared. "_I'm Jack Frost!" _

"That's epic!" Jack smiled, excited for the first time since they left the bakery. "So the job you have for me is…"

"Yes." Charlie nodded. He dispersed the winds that were holding him in the air and let the rubber soles of his sneakers touch the pavement once again. With a snap of his fingers Charlie was dressed in his official Jack Frost suit. "I'm looking to make a…lateral move with my career. You already know that winter is fast approaching which means there absolutely must be a Jack Frost in place. I know the timing would have been better if it were Spring and we had some time to move things around but…"

"I'll do it." Jack interrupted him.

"Don't you want to think it over first?" Charlie asked.

"Are you kidding me? God of the snow? It's literally my dream job!" Jack insisted.

"Technically you'd be the Winter Herald not the god of snow." Charlie clarified. "But don't you think you should talk it over with Holly or something first?"

"Why?" Jack shrugged. "You've been able to spend all this time with her as you. I don't see why I wouldn't be able to do the same."

"There are some consequences for shrinking your responsibility as Jack Frost." Charlie warned. "And your appointment would have to be approved by the Council of Legendary Figures."

"The Council of…oh! Full dental coverage!" Jack laughed. "Now I get it. The Tooth Fairy is your dentist. Very cool." Jack clapped his hands and rubbed them together excitedly. "So, what do we have to do to get things moving?"

"Well, I suppose I call a council meeting and ask them to approve your appointment." Charlie explained. "I'll go do that now. They'll want to meet you of course, so be ready to come with me at a moment's notice alright?" He began to summon the Northern winds to carry him off towards the North Pole where he could easily call for a council meeting.

"Okay." Jack nodded excitedly as Charlie began to hover again.

"And Jack, this has to stay between the two of us for now. You can't tell anyone, not eve Holly." Charlie warned.

* * *

**A/N: Look at me coming out with a random update! :) I'm just trying to move through some story points before we get to Christmas time IRL. I don't know when the next update will be, but that's part of the fun right?**

**Special shoutout to Jsmares22 & Ghostwriter for your reviews of Chapter 6.**


	8. Chapter 8

"Is there going to be a tour after this?" Jack gasped. "Promise me there's going to be a tour after this!" His eyes wandered through the colorful village of the North Pole. Charlie walked by his side, moving quickly so as to not waist the council's time.

'"Assuming everything goes according to plan, we'll have time for a tour later." Charlie nodded. They walked up the large back steps of Santa's Workshop and bumped into Bernard.

"Jack, this is my brother-in-law, Bernard." Charlie introduced. "Bernard this is…"

"Jack Green." Bernard commented, shaking his hand. "Your first Christmas was in 1992, we brought you a stuffed giraffe, but your favorite Christmas gift was when we brought you a snow cone machine in 2002 which you wanted so that you could make snow for your sister's Barbie ski lodge."

"How does he know all of that?" Jack asked Charlie.

"Bernard was Head Elf for a _really_ long time." Charlie explained. "It used to be his job to know this sort of stuff about kids."

"Plus, I checked the archives when Jessie mentioned you were bringing him here." Bernard clarified. "I had to make sure you weren't a security risk. You understand."

"Of course." Jack nodded, not really sure that he did.

"We'd better go, we don't want to keep the Council waiting." Charlie announced.

Charlie wasn't surprised to see that the entire Council of Legendary Figures had already arrived in his absence. His father was seated at one end of the table talking with the Tooth Fairy. The Sandman was "Resting his eyes" with his head in his hands while the Easter Bunny and Cupid shared some witty banter. Father Time and Mother Nature stood stoically at the front of the room. Everyone went quiet when Jack and Charlie entered.

"This emergency meeting of the Council of Legendary Figures is officially call to order." Mother nature announced. "Jack Frost, you've called for the meeting and therefor you have the floor."

"Right." Charlie nodded. "Four months ago, the current Santa announced that this will be his last Christmas as Santa." He paused as around the room council members began to grumble.

"I really think you should reconsider, old friend." Tooth Fairy complained. "You've been the best Santa we've had in centuries."

"Now, now, we've talked about this." Scott shook his head. "Besides this meeting isn't about me, it's about Charlie so let's hear what he has to say."

"As most of you know, I've expressed interest in the position of Santa. I would like to put on the coat when my dad takes it off. In order to do that, I have to first find a replacement for my current position." Charlie gestured for Jack to step forward. "The candidate I've selected is, Jack Green."

"Thank you, Charlie." Mother Nature spoke. "We would like some time to discuss the matter with Jack in private. "Would you mind stepping outside someone will be with you momentary."

"Of course." Charlie nodded and left the room without hesitation. He found his sister and Curtis with their ears pressed against the door when he stepped into the hall. They both jumped back when they noticed him.

"So?" Jess asked impatiently.

"They want to deliberate. Talk to him on their own." He explained. "They probably want to make sure that I haven't coerced him or anything."

"Well, you know the Council better than either of us." Jess said. "You must have some idea of how you think they'll vote."

"You know how they are." Charlie shook his head in disagreement. "I couldn't make a guess even if I wanted to. But we've done all we can. All we can do is hope that they like Jack enough."

"What exactly is your plan if they approve?" Curtis asked.

"Well, I know the Santa job inside and out by this point." Charlie shrugged. "I don't really need my free year to put my affairs in order so I can use that time to help Jack be a better Jack Frost. Then I have what six, seven, years to get married?"

"If you pull this off, it's a pretty good plan." Jess squeezed her brother's shoulder encouragingly. "Even Bernard couldn't find a flaw in it. Speaking of which, it's lunch time. I'm going to go spend some time with my family. Let us know how it turns out."

"I should make sure the Naughty and Nice list is ready for Santa." Curtis announced. "Hopefully that will be _you_ next Christmas."

"Hopefully." Charlie sighed as Curtis and Jess walked off in opposite directions.

It didn't take the Council long to deliberate on their answer. This didn't surprise Charlie, the Council prided themselves on their efficiency. He'd only been waiting in the hall for maybe thirty minutes before Jack nervously poked his head out.

"They've gone." Jack told him quietly.

"All of them?" Charlie's eyebrows furrowed together.

"Well, all except Santa. They wanted him to tell you their decision." Jack motioned for Charlie to join him inside.

"How bad is it?" Charlie asked Scott, not beating around the bush. "The Council didn't even stay to tell me themselves."

"That's because they wanted me to give you the good news." Scott smiled.

"Good news? So that means…" Charlie looked between Jack and Scott hopefully.

"You're looking at the next Jack Frost!" Jack exclaimed excitedly. "Oh, Charlie thank you so much! I promise not to let you down!"

"Don't worry Jack, after Christmas I'm going to spend the next year making you the best Jack Frost there's ever been." Charlie promised.

"Well, now that we've taken care of the important stuff. Can I have my tour now?" Jack questioned.

"Sure, we can start in the Naughty and Nice room since I've heard that the list still needs to be checked." Charlie said, looking pointedly at his father.

* * *

**A/N:** So things are coming along nicely, getting a lot of logistical chapters out of the way! I can't wait to really start having some fun!

Thank you so much to i am cloud, Ghostwriter, & Villains' Bad Girl for your reviews of Chapter 7! As always I look forward to seeing your thoughts on every chapter! Especially if there's something you like or are hoping to see in the story! I'll be back with an update soon!


	9. Chapter 9

_The North Pole. _Just thinking the words was enough for Jack Green's heart to pound in his chest. He'd never seen so much color in one place before, not even at the bakery. There were boughs of holly, complete with red berries and faux snow, strung along all the railings and ledges. Every type of Christmas decoration imaginable seemed to be tacked up somewhere. Every door had a festive wreath, there was mistletoe hidden above doorways and hallway junctions. There was even a fully decorated Christmas tree in both the town square and the main workshop floor.

As for the elves, they bustled through the Pole paying little attention to Charlie or Jack as the son of Santa led him around. Most of the elves wore clothing like one would see in holiday specials on TV. Their cloths was adorned with peppermint stripes and jingle bells and their shoes ended in curly or pointed toes. But Jack was surprised to see just how many elves were wearing what he considered human clothes.

"Is that elf wearing UGGs?" Jack whispered to Charlie.

"Probably." Charlie nodded. "When Bernard was in charge it was…_highly_ _encouraged _that elves dress traditionally. He started to loosen up about it when he married Jess. She told him becoming an elf wasn't going to change her. Then when Curtis took over he and Jess made sure the dress code was dialed back significantly."

"Wait, your sister's an elf?" Jack asked.

"And yours is a baker." Charlie smirked.

"Those two things are not even close to the same." Jack countered. "My sister makes cookies and cakes. Your sister is…a mythical creature! No judgment, man, it's cool but…how do you keep everything straight? I mean, you're Jack Frost, your dad is Santa, your older sister is an elf and so is your brother in law. Wait, don't you have a younger sister too? Is she a Sugar Plum Fairy?"

"Lucy's not in the family business just yet. Which does bring up an important subject, your cover story." Charlie sighed.

"Canadian toy factory seemed like a decent enough cover." Jack shrugged. "No one besides Holly is going to ask too many questions anyway and I can tell her the truth, right?"

"Well…" Charlie rubbed the back of his neck and averted Jack's gaze. "Not quite yet."

"Oh! Because I'm not quite Jack Frost yet." Jack nodded. "That's fine. I totally understand."

"Yeah! That's it!" Charlie nodded. He was relieved that he didn't have to reveal his _full_ plan just yet. He was still hammering out some details.

"Oh, Charlie, Jack! Glad we caught you!" Jess greeted them as she and Buddy approached from one of the workshop's offshoot corridors. "Curtis asked me to stuff the stockings, which means getting out the big ladder but since you're here…"

"I'd be happy to help before taking Jack back home." Charlie agreed. "Jack have you met my brother, Buddy yet?"

"Hello, Buddy!" Jack greeted him cheerfully. "How do you fit into the family business?"

"Pfft." Buddy scoffed in response. "Hardly a family business. More like a holiday themed prison."

"Buddy had never lived anywhere other than the North Pole." Jess explained. "He's been pushing for a couple years for dad and Carol to move."

"I mean forgive me if this is a stupid question, but why wouldn't you want to live here?" Jack asked. "I mean it seems like it'd be pretty cool to grow up here. I mean playing with the reindeer, getting to see all the toys before anyone else, _the snow!"_

"Charlie and Jessica grew up here. I just live here." Buddy clarified. Jack wasn't sure what the difference was. "They lived in Chicago. They had a chance at normal lives. They got to go to school with other kids. _Human kids_. I on the other hand, have been stuck here my whole life. I just wish dad would hurry up and pass his coat off so we can leave already!" Buddy huffed before storming away to another part of the Pole.

"Teenagers, am I right?" Charlie tried to joke with a half-hearted smile.

"It wasn't a stupid question." Jess told Jack. She motioned for he and Charlie to follow her. The three of them walked together towards what the elves called the Wall of Stockings. "We're not exactly sure what's made Buddy such a Grinch, but as much as I'll miss having Dad and Carol around, things will be better when they've moved on."

"That's easier to say now that we know we're not going to lose them." Charlie commented.

"Whoa, so when you said stuff the stockings…" Jack said when he laid eyes on the Wall of Stockings for the first time.

"Another one of Curtis' changes." Charlie told him. "He thought it would be a nice way to boost morale and carry the holiday spirit through the year. There's a stocking for every person at the Pole, they're kind of like little mailboxes for to leave messages and presents in."

"Yes, and part of this initiative, Curtis or I leave a candy cane in every stocking once a week. Usually that means climbing up and down this thing," Jess nodded at a large ladder that was attached to the wall. Jack was able to understand that the ladder could be wheeled left or right to line up with any row of stockings.

"But since Charlie is here today…" Jess handed Charlie a fistful of candy canes. Charlie summoned a gust of Northern Wind so that he could levitate to the top row of stockings. He dropped a candy cane in each one, before dipping down to get some more from his sister.

"Would you like one, Jack?" Jessie offered out a candy cane to him. "This week's flavor is lemon."

"If this is a veiled attempt to bribe me into doing this for you when I'm Frost, I accept." Jack told her before accepting the white and yellow striped candy. "Honestly, expect to see me hanging around here whenever possible. Which brings up a good point, Charlie!" He shouted up to Charlie who hovered ten feet over their heads. "Where am I supposed to live?!"

"That, is a very good question." Charlie told Jack. He finished the last of the stockings that were too high above Jessica's head before lowing himself back down to the ground. "I guess I could show you the Frost Lodge. Assuming you can handle the rest of this, Jess?"

"Of course." Jess nodded. "Thanks for the help! I look forward to seeing you around, Jack."

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**A/N: Hey there friends! It's officially Spooky Season, which means it's almost Santa Season! 3 I'm going to try to get through some filler over the next few weeks and hopefully we'll get to Santa Charlie before IRL Christmas! I also can't wait to loop Holly into things and get her reaction to Jack/-Jack Frost & Charlie-Santa!**

**Also always thank you so much to everyone who's been reading, favoriting, following and enjoying this story! A special thank you to Ghostwriter, Villains' Bad Girl, & i am cloud for their reviews of Chapter 8! **


	10. Chapter 10

"Everyone knows about the North Pole." Charlie told Jack as they walked through the town square. "But what no one ever talks about is where the rest of us live. As herald of the winter season, Jack Frost lives in the Frost Lodge. The Frost Lodge can be moved anywhere you want it to be. I chose to move it here, so I could be closer to the family. The last Jack Frost moved it even further North. He wanted to be isolated from everyone else. The Frost before that, lived off the coast of Australia on a private Island."

"So, I could keep the Lodge her at the North Pole if I want to?" Jack asked.

"I'm not the first Frost to post up here." Charlie told him. "The Council has a nonnegotiable rule that if any of the heralds want to move their homes within range of another legendary figure's territory you have to get their permission first."

"So, I'll need Santa's permission to keep the Lodge here?" Jack clarified.

"Yes. But I have it on pretty good authority that won't be a problem." Charlie assured him. "Curtis and Bernard however, have their own requirements. They've had a bit of a history with past Frosts, so as a rule the Pole requires you to sign some legal agreements before they'll let you stay."

"Legal agreements?" Jack repeated. "What kind of a history did they have?"

"Multiple attempts at hostile take overs, kidnappings, usurping, murder, and that's only what they _caught_ Frost doing." He answered.

"Kidnappings? Murders?" Jack's eyes widened in shock. "Who knew Christmas politics were so serious! I promise Charlie you won't have that problem with me. I can't imagine why anyone would want to be Santa when they could be Jack Frost! No offense…"

"None taken." Charlie laughed. "Other than the fact that you can move the Lodge anywhere, it's pretty much just like a regular house."

Charlie and Jack had left the Town Square behind them. They passed the neighborhood where Jess and Bernard's house was located and began climbing up a small slope. At the top of the hill was a log cabin. It was a simple and square one room house with a big enough porch for two rocking chairs. Jack loved it instantly.

"C'mon," Charlie invited him inside.

There was a kitchen area with a fridge, an oven and some limited counter space. A table for two was located nearby. On the other side of the room there was a couch and a sixty-inch flat screen TV hung on one wall. An unmade bed with ice blue sheets was the only other major piece of furniture in the room.

"It's not much." Charlie confessed, "but it's home."

"It's better than my apartment." Jack told him.

"You can always redecorate obviously, but that was never really my thing. I also have a lot of stuff in storage." He shrugged.

"What's this?" Jack walked over to a walk that was taken up almost entirely by shelves. Each shelf displayed dozens of crystal snowflakes in various sizes. As Jack got closer, he realized each snowflake flickered with images almost like they were playing tiny video clips.

"Ah, each one is the first snowflake ever created by a Frost." Charlie reached down on a lower shelf and removed a snowflake from the display. "When you create your first snowflake, there's a ceremony and you're asked to think of your happiest memory. That memory is preserved in here, it's supposed to be your guiding light on the darkest days." Charlie held his snowflake out to Jack. "This one's mine."

"I Wouldn't want to break it." Jack said, taking a step back.

"Maybe another time then." Charlie said. He put the snowflake back on the shelf. "We should probably get you home soon anyway."

"What happens now?" Jack asked.

"Well, you get some time to enjoy your life. My Dad will deliver the gifts for the last time this Christmas. We'll do the changeover on the twenty-sixth, then you and I get a year to train and adjust to our new roles." He answered.

"And in the meantime, that's it?" Jack frowned.

"In the meantime, enjoy your last normal Christmas with your sister." Charlie pat him on the back encouragingly. "Believe it or not, some years you'll miss it."

"Charlie, I want to thank you." Jack told him. "I can't help but feel like being Jack Frost is my destiny. Like this was who I was always supposed to be."

"I'm glad Jack." Charlie told him. "Remember that feeling, on the harder days."

_Harder days. Darkest days. _It hadn't gone unnoticed by Jack that Charlie kept hinting that there may be something more about the Frost role that Charlie wasn't telling him. He decided not to probe further in that moment. After all whatever the harder days Charlie kept illuding to were, it seemed they hadn't affected him or the rest of the Calvins much. He was sure whatever it was, he'd over come it.

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**A/N:** Not much to say about this chapter friends! Just that I hope to be doing some more frequent chapters now that it's officially the holiday season! A big thank you to everyone for favoriting, following, reading & enjoying the store so far! A huge thank you to Ghostwriter, I am cloud, & wyattlykensen111 for their reviews of Chapter 9! Happy Holidays I hope to be back soon!


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